Jyväskylän yliopiston Tiedemuseo

About the museum

The Tiedemuseo of the University of Jyväskylä (University of Jyväskylä Science Museum) records, researches, preserves and presents the cultural and natural heritage of the university and its predecessors. It operates as part of the university’s Open Knowledge Centre, and its collections consist of cultural-historical and natural-science collections, a botanical garden and the university’s art collection. The museum has traditionally been a museum for students, and its history reaches back more than a hundred years: in 2025 the museum celebrated its 125th anniversary.

The Soihtu exhibition centre is located in the Seminarium building on the university’s main campus at Seminaarinmäki. At Soihtu, science and art meet: the permanent exhibition Oi kuvatuksia ja mielijuohteita presents the stages in the history of the university and its predecessors, and the Tissari art collection presents works by leading representatives of Finnish modernism. The collection was donated to the university by barrister Jorma Tissari in 1984.

In addition to the permanent exhibition, Soihtu hosts changing themed exhibitions. The museum’s second exhibition site, the Luontomuseo (Natural History Museum) in Vesilinna at Harju, can be visited separately. The museum offers guided tours for groups, campus tours, and learning packages for day-care centres and schools.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition Oi kuvatuksia ja mielijuohteita on the university’s history
• Tissari art collection of works by leading representatives of Finnish modernism
• Exhibition centre in the Seminarium building at Seminaarinmäki
• Time-travel learning packages for day-care centres and schools
• Free admission

Permanent exhibitions

• Oi kuvatuksia ja mielijuohteita – The permanent exhibition presents the stages in the history of the University of Jyväskylä and its predecessors, as well as the history of the Finnish school system.
• Tissarin taidekokoelma – The collection donated to the university in 1984 by barrister Jorma Tissari, featuring works by leading representatives of Finnish modernism.

Founded

1900

Operated by

Jyväskylän yliopisto

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission to the exhibition centre. Campus tour prices: €80 plus 25.5% VAT per started hour for groups of fewer than 30 people (evenings €120, weekends and public holidays €160).

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The entrance is at the back of the building on the A-building side, via a ramp; the outer door threshold is about 50 mm and the door width 690 mm, and beside it is a second door that has to be opened separately. The lift is 12 metres from the door, straight ahead on the right (lift car 1410 × 1000 mm), and the accessible toilet is on the first floor. The double doors to the exhibition spaces are about 1100–1750 mm wide, the thresholds about 30–50 mm, and staff help with opening the doors. The permanent exhibition has one narrow corridor, which also has an alternative doorway. Accessible parking is on the A-building side, but there is no marked space.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The Aikamatka learning package takes pre-school and primary-school children on a time-travel trip about 150 years back to the model school of the Jyväskylä Seminary; at task stations children practise, among other things, the alphabet on a slate.

Getting there & parking

The Soihtu exhibition centre is located in the Seminarium building (S-building) on the university’s main campus at Seminaarinmäki.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit